CARDS IN SET: 60
KNOWN CARDS: 60
MEASUREMENTS: About 1-15/16" by
2-5/8"
KEY CARDS: Oscar Charleston, John
Henry "Pop" Lloyd, Cristóbal Torriente,
José Méndez, Oliver Marcelle,
Alejandro Oms, Dobie Moore, Nip
Winters
MAJOR LEAGUERS: 21
DESCRIPTION: One of the scarcest and most desirable of all Cuban issues, these cards
were issued in packs of "Billiken" brand oval-made cigarettes. Unlike many other Cuban
issues of the 1920's, the images are all unique and cannot be found elsewhere. Printed on
photographic stock, each card shows a player in uniform from around the knees up with La
Boulanger Park in Santa Clara visible in the background. On the bottom, in a typewriter-style
font, are the players' last names followed by the team name and then "B.B.C." meaning "Base
Ball Club". The team names are all spelled out except for Santa Clara which is written "S.
Clara". For example, Oscar Charleston's card reads "Charleston, S. Clara B.B.C."
Four teams are represented in the set: Santa Clara, Almendares, Habana, and Marianao.
Each team has 15 cards. It is unclear whether there was an album for these cards (no one
has ever seen one), but the backs are almost always free from the glue staining so common
to other Cuban issues. However, because they didn't benefit from being preserved in albums,
they are extremely condition sensitive.
Many Cuban collectors consider this to be the absolute apex of 20th Century baseball cards.
It's hard to argue with that when you see these cards in person. The images transport you to
a Golden era where baseball was at its finest. The 1923-24 Santa Clara team had a lineup
that rivaled "Murderer's Row", not to mention their incredible pitching staff. Many cards have
fans or other players visible in the background. Some show views of the ballpark. It is the
purity of these images that hooks collectors.
For some baffling reason, there is no card of Adolfo Luque, by then a star pitcher in the Major
Leagues. He did play in Cuba this season has a card in the Tomás Gutiérrez set produced
the same year. Plenty of stars did make it into the set, though. One highlight is the only known
card of one of the best Negro League pitchers, Nip Winters. In addition to Winters and the
other "Key" cards mentioned above, the set also features Dobie Moore, Edgar Wesley, Frank
Duncan, Eddie Douglass (his only known card), Frank Warfield, Rube Currie, Andy Cooper,
Bernardo Baró, Valentín Dreke, Jesse Hubbard, Clint Thomas, Red Ryan, and Armando
Marsans.
For the checklist below the names are as they appear on the cards with the corrected full
name of the player in parentheses. Since the cards are unnumbered they will be listed by
team.
ALMENDARES:
HABANA:
MARIANAO:
SANTA CLARA:
MERITO ACOSTA
Merito "Baldomero" Acosta
|
D. BROWN
James "Don" Brown
|
FERNANDEZ
Jose Maria Fernandez
|
GIMENEZ
Bienvenido "Hooks" Jimenez
|
DEBERRY
Harry "Hank" Deberry
|
MAYARI
Esteban "Mayari" Montalvo
|
GIMENEZ
Bienvenido "Hooks" Jimenez
|
FITZSMANN
Freddie Fitzsimmons
|
LLOID
John Henry "Pop" Lloyd
|
HERRERA
Ramon "Paito" Herrera
|
MOLINA
Agustin "Tinti" Molina
|
PORTUONDO
Bartolo Portuondo
|
QUINTANA
Rafael "Busta" Quintana
|
RODRIGUEZ
Joseito Rodriguez
|
TORRIENTE
Cristobal Torriente
|
MARIANAO
Merito Acosta
Acostica (Jose "Acostica" Acosta)
D. Brown (James "Don" Brown)
E. Brown (Eddie Brown)
Crespo (Rogelio Crespo)
Deberry (Harry "Hank" Deberry)
Dressen (Charlie Dressen)
Fitzsmann (Freddie Fitzsimmons)
Griffin (Ivy Griffin)
Krueger (Ernie Krueger)
Love (Slim Love)
Perez (José "Pepin" Perez)
Rgal (Rigal)
Sceiber (Hank Schreiber)
Torriente (Cristóbal Torriente)
ALMENDARES
Baro (Bernardo Baró)
Cueto (Manuel Cueto)
Dreke (Valentin Dreke)
Fabre (Isidro Fabre)
Fernandez (José María Fernández)
Fuhr (Oscar Fuhr)
Gimenez (Bienvenido Jiménez)
Henrry (Snake Henry)
Herrera (Ramón "Paito" Herrera)
Hubbard (Jesse Hubbard)
Marsans (Armando Marsans)
May (Jakie May)
Morin (Eugenio Morín)
Rodriguez (Joseito Rodríguez)
Winters (Nip Winters)
HABANA
Abreu (Eufemio Abreu)
Bischoff (John Bischoff)
Clark (Danny Clark)
Cooper (Andy Cooper)
Eglefton (Mack Eggleston)
Gimenez (Bienvenido Jiménez)
Guerra (Marcelino Guerra)
Levis (Oscar Levis)
Lloid (John Henry "Pop" Lloyd
Mirabal (Juanelo Mirabal)
Portuondo (Bartolo Portuondo)
Quintana (Rafael Quintana)
Ross (Buster Ross)
Thomas (Clint Thomas)
Westley (Edgar Wesley)
SANTA CLARA
Charleston (Oscar Charleston)
Currie (Rube Currie)
Dibut (Pedro Dibut)
Douglas (Eddie Douglass)
Duncan (Frank Duncan)
Marcell (Oliver Marcelle)
Mayari (Esteban Montalvo)
Mendez (José Méndez)
Molina (Tinti Molina)
Moore (Dobie Moore)
Oms (Alejandro Oms)
Rios (Matías Ríos)
Rojo (Julio Rojo)
Ryan (Red Ryan)
Wardfield (Frank Warfield)
ACOSTICA
Jose "Acostica" Acosta
|
CHARLESTON
Oscar Charleston
|
